Yay! Chapter 3: three Atwoods, one Townsend, and no buses.
Krisz – Taylor's stalker was really just a plot device, just some creepy guy in Chino… he never shows up again.
P.S. – Review please! It makes me smile.
"What do you mean there are no buses?" Ryan couldn't tell how she kept being so polite. She never said one rude word, even though he could tell she was annoyed and angry.
"I mean, there are no buses," the woman behind the counter told her again. "There will be a bus tomorrow morning, if you'd like to purchase a ticket."
The girl's head fell into her hands, but lifted back up after a second. "No, thank you. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow morning, though. Thank you so much for your time." She turned on her heel, squared her shoulders, and walked back to the two boys hesitantly. "So, where was that 'hotel' again?"
"Yeah, I got an opening," the man leered at her, staring blatantly at her chest.
"Excuse me? Hi! Up here," the man lifted his gaze to where she was pointing: her own eyes. "Thank you. I'd like a room for the night then, please." The man nodded, reaching for a rusty key.
"I'll let you in," he said, getting up and looking back down at her chest.
"Are there dead bolts on the doors?" she asked cautiously. He grinned.
"Look, I don't want to impose," the girl protested, trailing behind the two brothers.
"Impose? No way. Ryan here will just have to sleep on the couch tonight," he slapped his brother on the back. "Right?"
"Right," Ryan mumbled. "No imposing."
The girl gave an uncomfortable laugh. "What I actually meant is that I'm still not sure I trust you enough to crash at your house." Her bluntness made Trey laugh.
"Look, if it makes you feel any better, our mother is home." Trey put his arm around her shoulders. "I think."
"Whatever," Dawn Atwood sighed, inhaling her cigarette and eying the girl. She gestured vaguely towards the bedrooms, make yourself comfortable.
"This is mine," Trey pointed when they got to the hallway where the bedrooms were. She glanced in, noticing the mess immediately. She smiled politely, nodding. "But you can stay in Ryan's."
Ryan led her a little further down, scratching his head uncomfortably. "Trey!" Dawn called from the kitchen, and he ran back.
"Here." Taylor glanced around Ryan's room, which was a little nicer than his brothers. It also looked a little more sterile, for which she was grateful.
"Thank you, but you really don't have to do this…" Ryan shrugged off her comment. She nodded grimly, and set her small bag on the bed.
"I'll get you some new sheets," he was clearly embarrassed by the unmade bed.
He changed the sheets, bluntly refusing her help. "There. Um, if you want food, just come out to the kitchen. Or don't. You can do whatever you want." He wasn't looking at her. He turned to leave the room.
"Thanks," she whispered, sinking down onto the fresh sheets.
"Mom made me get pizza," Trey explained as he returned to the house. "She said since I invited Taylor, I had to do all the work. Go ask her if she's hungry."
Ryan did his brother's bidding, just like always. He found Taylor sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, legs hugged tightly to her chest. She was crying.
"Oh. Um, sorry." He averted his gaze, unsure of what to do.
She quickly rubbed the tears away, forcing a bright smile onto her face. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I usually never cry," she forced a laugh. "Did you need something from your room?" She straightened her dress out, smoothing down the pleats of her skirt.
"No. Trey got pizza; he wanted to know if you were hungry." Ryan decided not to mention her crying, and she looked grateful.
"God, I'm starving."
The two boys watched in fascination as the girl bit into her third slice of pizza. Dawn actually nodded her approval at the girl's healthy appetite. Taylor's eyes were focused on the TV screen. The Atwoods apparently didn't get cable, so they were watching a – low budget and poorly acted – Spanish soap opera.
"Mom, I have no idea what's going on," Trey complained, pointing his hand towards the screen.
"I think she's in love with that old guy," his mother explained, watching the actors carefully.
"Actually, she's married to Jose, but she cheated on him with Rosa, the maid," Taylor explained, pointing out each character. "He hasn't found out yet, but his brother knows and is blackmailing her. What?" Taylor was confused when they stared at her.
"Do you watch this show?" Dawn asked.
"Oh, no. I've actually never seen it before." More confused looks.
"You speak Spanish?" Ryan asked, sipping his coke.
"Yeah…" she looked around, embarrassed. "I had to, Catalina didn't speak much English, so I got sick of interpreting hand gestures. It was a lot easier just to learn Spanish, so I could translate for my mother."
"And Catalina is…" Trey trailed off, waiting for her to finish the sentence.
"Our maid." Taylor froze mid-bite, realizing her mistake.
"Where are you from, again?" Dawn asked.
Taylor put down the slice of pizza, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and then faked a yawn. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here overnight. I'm so tired; I'm just going to go to bed." She stood up and exited quickly before anyone could think to stop her.
Dawn raised an eyebrow at her sons. "Do you even know anything about this girl?"
"Um… her name is Taylor?"
Please tell me what you think!
